


Vanguard Dream Big

by Breakable_Dolls



Category: Cardfight!! Vanguard
Genre: I am having fun writing this, Nonbinary Character, This is for my brother, Trans Character, Uh..., if you don't like it, ocs! - Freeform, oh well
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-01
Updated: 2017-10-01
Packaged: 2019-01-07 13:16:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,059
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12233622
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Breakable_Dolls/pseuds/Breakable_Dolls
Summary: A tale of friendship, woes, and the power of card games.





	Vanguard Dream Big

 Turn One

Fangs that Swallow the World

* * *

 

“Supposedly there was a card shop around here... What would that even look like?!” A flamingo pink-haired boy groaned and scratched his head, clearly irritated. “Can’t use data either… Figures. So much for Google-sensei.” He continued down the street, muttering irritably to himself.

 

“Should I turn here, maybe…?” The boy stopped in his tracks, a light wind dancing with the long flaps on his baggy sleeveless jacket. He shifted on his weight, allowing the backpack obnoxiously labelled “Ayamu Ueno” to settle a little more comfortably on his back.

 

A blur in what looked like a fast-food uniform barreled into Ayamu. The collision was painful, even more so for Ayamu, being squished by a purple blob of what was most likely another human.

 

Curse words swelled from the blob’s mouth.

“Whoops, uh eat your vegetables, watch your mouth! Gotta get to work!” the crushing weight atop Ayamu was lifted.

 

The purple blob was, in fact, a man in a fast-food uniform.

 

“Wait! Do you uh, know a place where I can buy Vanguard cards?” Ayamu asked hurried, blurting the words out before the man could dash away.

 

The man was already paces away, “Yeah down the street I was just on; it’ll be on the left. Grandfather Time. You can’t miss it.” The rest was called over his shoulder as he sped towards the horizon.

* * *

 

Ayamu followed the strange man’s directions and (thankfully) they were correct. Ayamu could feel in his gut this was his first step toward the future. One deep breath later, Ayamu was pushing open a set of odd wooden doors. To say the boy was disappointed would be an understatement; he had walked into an antique store.

 

“Hey Pinky, if you're looking for Vanguard it’s upstairs; my cousin manages that bit.” The voice came from the blandest, most nondescript individual Ayamu had ever seen. The oddly androgynous person pointed towards a staircase. Had the person not spoken such meaningful words to Ayamu, he would have ignored the person entirely.

 

Off like a speeding bullet, “Thanks.”

 

Ayamu took the stairs two at a time, nearly tripping over his own feet. He was filled with a youthful excitement most wouldn’t associate with a fifteen year old boy. As he climbed higher, so too did his excitement. One more set of doors, then the fresh smell of cardboard, ink, and… (was that sweat?) infiltrated his nose. The large, open space was lined with tables; some empty, some full. Ayamu merely stood, taking in the sight.

 

“Hello! Welcome to Grandfather Time! I haven’t seen you before.”

 

Ayamu jumped at the voice, “Oh umm… I’m Ayamu Ueno. I’ve never been here before. I have some Genesis and Paladin Clan cards, and I’d like to figure out how to make a deck.” He turned and bowed, politely.

 

The speaker was a chubby, young woman with long blue hair. She was probably about seven inches taller than the (admittedly short) Ayamu, although certainly not seven years older. “How cute! So you're still undecided, then? What kind of play style are you hoping for?”

 

Ayamu noticed he was sweating. “Er, umm… a flexible one?”

 

Was that a good answer?

 

“You should have a flexible deck to be able to take on any opponent, right?”

 

This earned him a small smile from the woman, whose name tag Ayamu now noticed.

 

Sayuri Yamada

 

”I like the way you think! How about we see what Genesis cards you have and work from there? We have a lot of the new support over here. Do you know anything about deck building?”

 

“Uh, yeah… You need exactly fifty cards in your deck, including your ‘Starting Vanguard.’ A deck must have exactly sixteen trigger units, and only four of them can be heal triggers. Speaking of fours, you can only have up to four of any given card, and only four perfect guards are allowed in a deck.” Ayamu responded, essentially spewing off what he read on a wiki.

 

“That’s exactly correct! Oh, whoops, I haven’t told you my name! I’m Sayuri Yamada, my cousin owns the shop downstairs, and by extension, this shop.”

 

Ayamu didn’t have the heart to tell her he had already read her nametag.

 

The so-called commons box that Sayuri lead Ayamu to was not in fact one box, but six that took up about half of a folding table.

 

“When you need rarer cards, just come to the front and we can look up the price.” Sayuri patted Ayamu’s shoulder amicably and headed back to her seat behind the counter.

 

After what felt like a small eternity digging through commons, Ayamu marched to the counter and began to flip through the binder of rare cards.

 

Shortly after putting his new deck together, Ayamu stopped and looked around the shop. A wave of nervousness and social anxiety washed over him.

 

_I have what I think is a decent deck, but how do I test it…? I can’t just go up to someone and say “Can I Cardfight you?” I’d look like a weirdo._ Ayamu thought to himself.

 

As if reading Ayamu’s mind, Sayuri spoke from behind the counter, grinning eagerly. “I can play against you.”

* * *

 

The two sat down on opposite sides of a folding table. Two rubber mats lay on the table with various markings, indicating where one should place their decks, vanguards, and other technical card game bits and bobs that Ayamu was chuffed to learn about.

 

“Have you chosen your Starting Vanguard?” Sayuri’s patient tone brought Ayamu back to the task at hand.

 

“Y-yes!” Ayamu dug **Fetter Creator, Van** from the depths of his shuffled deck, and placed it face down on the space designated for the Vanguard.

 

Sayuri eyed Ayamu’s deck critically. “We should probably set you up with some sleeves and a deck box.” As she spoke, she laid a card face down on her Vanguard Circle. Her eyes shifted upwards and met Ayamu’s gaze.

 

“Are you ready?”

 

He nodded.

 

“Stand up! Vanguard!”

 

The two flipped their cards face up at the same time, and a surge of excitement rushed through Ayamu. He confidently called out to his Vanguard. “ **Fetter Creator, Van!** ” Ayamu could see himself as the young noble, setting the foundation for the next Vanguard.

 

**“Enigmatic Assassin**.” Sayuri’s Vanguard was a mysterious killer, cloaked in darkness.

 

“Since you’re just starting out, I’ll go first. I’ll show you how to ride, and plus you’ll get to attack first!”

 

After a quick second of deliberation, Sayuri selected a card from her hand and placed it on top of her Vanguard.

 

“I ride **Jet Black Poet, Amon**! Then I end my turn.”

 

Ayamu began his turn by drawing, then examined the cards in his hand. He had several cards that were grade one, but none had any effects that would activate this early in the game.

 

_May as well use this one…_ Ayamy thought, as he selected a card and slammed it down on his Vanguard.

 

“I ride **Fetter of Shackles, Gelgja**!”

 

Sayuri nodded approvingly, “Will you be calling any rearguards?”

 

Ayamu’s eyes shifted back to his hand. _The more rearguards I have, the more attacks I can make. I’d better start off strong._

 

“I call two **Divine World Beast, Hati!** ”

 

He threw the cards down, one in each column and prepared his attack.

 

“So I just, turn the card to the side, and that means it attacks?”

 

Some part of Ayamu’s mind saw Hati charge forward and gnash at Sayuri’s demon.

 

Sayuri flashed a grin. “No guard.”

 

Ayamu attacked twice more, and each time Sayuri merely took the damage and grinned.

 

By the end of the turn, Sayuri was at three damage points. “You’ve got me halfway there. Whoever reaches six damage first loses the game.”

 

Sayuri drew a card from her deck, then rode her Vanguard.

 

“I ride another of Amon’s loyal followers, **Tom Greenlin**!” Sayuri’s Vanguard was now a dark-themed superhero.

 

“That’s all I can really do for now, so I attack!”

 

Ayamu could practically see the attack connect with his Vanguard, and he didn’t want that happening.

 

“I’ll use a perfect guard!” Ayamu discarded a card from his hand to nullify Sayuri’s attack. Sayuri only had the one attack this turn, so it made sense to prevent it, right?

 

Sayuri revealed her attack trigger, showing that she had pulled no trigger.

 

She sighed, “Welp, that’s the end of my turn.”

 

Ayamu stood his units back up and drew a card. He was in the lead; he would force his way to victory alongside his Genesis units.

 

“I ride, **Mythic Serpent, Jormungand**! At Grade 2, I can now call more powerful allies!”

 

Ayamu did so, calling **Boulder Fetter, Gjoll**.

 

“ **Gjoll** has the _Revelation_ ability, so I can check the top card of my deck, but it into my soul, and rest a unit!”

 

Ayamu slid the top card of his deck into his soul without paying much attention to it.

 

“I rest my original Vanguard, **Van** ! When I rest him for a _Revelation_ ability, I can give 2000 power to one of my units! I give it to the left-hand **Hati**!”

 

Sayuri smiled, clearly impressed by the boy’s strategic decision.

 

“You turned a disadvantage into an advantage. Let’s see what else you’ve got!”

 

Ayamu began his next onslaught, beginning with his powered up Hati. Sayuri let the attack through, but pulled a stand trigger for her damage check.

 

“You know what this means, right?” she asked, grinning. “I get to add 5000 power to my Vanguard, effectively shutting down the rest of your attacks.”

 

“We’ll see about that!” Ayamu countered, surprised at the passion he found himself exuding. “Attack, my Vanguard!”

 

Ayamu turned his card sideways excitedly, and revealed the top card of his deck.

 

“No trigger.”

 

Ayamu gritted his teeth, “Once more, my rearguard **Gjoll** attacks boosted by my other **Hati**!”

 

Sayuri threw a critical trigger from her hand to the Guard Circle, cutting off the Boulder Fetter’s assault.

“Looks like that’s it for this turn.” Ayamu had only two cards remaining in his hand, but he was still winning, zero to four.

 

Sayuri stood her Vanguard, then drew a card and smiled, almost cruelly.

 

“Rising from the Darkness to serve his master, my avatar charges forth! I ride, **Eye of Amon, Agares!** ”

 

Sayuri rode to Grade 3, replacing her odd superhero with a horned servant of evil.

 

“Since he’s my only unit with **Amon** in his name, this turn he gets 1000 power for each card in my soul. It’s only 3000 for now, but every bit helps.”

 

She turned her Vanguard sideways dramatically.

 

“I attack your Vanguard!”

 

_I’ve gone this far without taking any damage,_ Ayamu thought to himself, _I may as well go all the way!_

 

“Perfect guard!” Ayamu dropped the other card from his hand, reducing his hand to zero but nullifying Sayuri’s only attack.

 

Sayuri raised an eyebrow, but merely revealed her attack triggers. There was a critical, but it didn’t really do anything, considering the situation.

 

“Two turns in a row, and no damage dealt. I must be losing my touch!” Sayuri teased, as Ayamu began his turn.

 

Ayamu looked at his hand, somewhat disappointed. All he had was a Grade 0 critical trigger. He had discarded a Grade 3 to use his Perfect Shield, and now he was stuck at his current level.

 

“May as well make the best use of the situation… I call **Fetter of Pile, Thviti**! Time to attack!”

 

Ayamu assaulted Sayuri with his columns, but was shut down each step of the way. Even the critical trigger Ayamu had pulled was nullified with Sayuri’s own Perfect Guard.

 

Another turn with only one card in hand -- and a Grade 0 to boot! Ayamu was beginning to see how saving cards could be beneficial, especially looking at Sayuri’s calm demeanor.

 

Sayuri did a sort of half-frown. “You know, if you had ridden to Grade 3, I could show off my super awesome Stride unit, but it looks like it’ll have to wait.”

 

She called two rearguards, both in the same column.

 

“ **Hell’s Deal** and **Hell’s Draw!** These followers of Amon allow me to build up my soul by two cards each!”

 

Sayuri slid the top four cards of her deck into her soul.

 

“Agares will attack your Vanguard! Since I have more cards in my soul, he’s even more powerful now!”

 

“Not so fast!” The critical trigger hadn’t done much for Ayamu last round, so he figured he would be better off guarding with it anyway.

 

Sayuri pulled her first trigger.

 

“A heal trigger! I recover one point of damage, and give the power to my vanguard! The attack breaks through! ”

 

The second trigger: “A critical trigger! I give the critical to my Vanguard, and the power to my rearguard!”

 

The critical assignment didn’t matter much, as Ayamu had nothing to guard with anyway.

 

The players were now tied up; 3 Damage versus 3 Damage.

 

Ayamu began to worry that maybe this battle wasn’t going to be entirely in his favor. He drew, and was glad to find the Grade 3 he had been hoping for.

 

“A mighty howl signals the end of the old gods! I ride my avatar, **Divine World Beast, Fenrir**!”

 

Normally, Ayamu would have been mortified calling out such nonsensical things, but in the world of Vanguard he felt right at home. He could feel the power that **Fenrir** granted him in the fight, and was eager to demonstrate it.

 

“I’ll start by attacking with **Hati’s** column again!”

 

Sayuri took the damage, and a lucky critical trigger pull allowed her Vanguard another 5000 power.

 

“Now, my Vanguard! Grant me victory! Fenrir attacks Agares with his world-ending fangs!”

 

Sayuri couldn’t help but smile, “Generation Guard! I call the False Dark Wings, Agrat Bat Mahlat! Soul charge two! Even if you pull two triggers your attacks won’t hit me!”

 

“I will push through, one way or another!”

 

Ayamu couldn’t believe how ridiculous he was being, getting so heated over a card game. At the same time however, he had felt a growing sensation in his chest from the moment he first walked in; this was just the culmination of it all.

 

“First check! Heal trigger! Power to my rearguard! Second check… Critical trigger! All effects go to my **Boulder Fetter**! One more attack!”

 

“Perfect guard.”

 

It was as though the wind had been taken out of Ayamu’s sails. He had failed to deal substantial damage this turn. Not only that, but it seemed as though Sayuri had used the one damage she _did_ take to prevent Ayamu from making use of his heal trigger.

 

Sayuri smiled slyly as she began her turn.

 

“I hope you know, that if you come back here again, I’m never going to let you forget all those things you just said.”

 

Ayamu could feel his face burning brightly.

 

Sayuri gestured to her units. “Thanks to **Agares** , both **Hell’s Draw** and **Hell’s Deal** will gain 1000 power for each card in my soul this turn.” She dropped a card from her hand to the drop zone.

 

“Generation Zone, Release! Swallow all in your everlasting darkness, **Amon’s Claw, Marchocias** ! When I stride atop **Agares** , I can counterblast one and _double_ the size of my soul! I also call another **Agares** to my rearguard!”

 

Ayamu had a sinking feeling that this was going to be the end.

 

“That’s not all! I counterblast one more to give two of my rearguards 3,000 power for every five cards in my soul. Currently I have… eighteen cards! So that’s 9,000 power to my rear **Agares** and **Hell’s Deal**!”

 

Sayuri turned her left-hand **Agares** , signifying his attack.

 

Ayamu gulped, throwing down a trigger. “I have to guard!”

 

Sayuri’s grin was practically demonic as she made her plays, “At the beginning of my attack step, I can call **Enigmatic Assassin** from my soul and give it 15,000 power, since I have so much soul! I call her to boost my Vanguard!”

 

Ayamu could feel sweat trickling down his brow. What a sneaky move! He had forgotten entirely about Sayuri’s starter, considering it hadn’t moved into the back row at the start of the game. Could Ayamu possibly guard against an attack totaling 46,000 power?

 

“Generation Guard! Guard! And intercept!” Ayamu banked the entire game on this one battle. If his guard was broken, this would likely be the end.

 

“Two triggers needed to pass, eh? I’m willing to bet on it!” Sayuri cackled as she pulled her triggers.

 

“First… a critical! I’ll give it to my Vanguard! Second… nothing. Third…”

 

Ayamu could feel a tension in his chest unlike any he had ever felt before.

 

“Heal Trigger!! The attack breaks through!”

 

Ayamu took his two damage, not pulling any triggers. He sat open, defenseless. He had no more interceptors, and no more cards in his hand. Sayuri still had another attack, and there was no way, even if Ayamu had a hand, that he could hope to guard the mountain of power that stood before him.

 

“My demons will finish you off with this last attack! Amon’s Succubi attack for 59,000 power!”

 

“No guard.”

 

Ayamu gazed down at his damage zone. The last card he pulled from his deck that fight was a perfect guard.

* * *

 

Shadows fell across the rookie player’s face. He had never felt anything like this before. Never had he been so soundly beaten at anything in his life. “That… Was… Amazing!! I want a rematch!” Ayamu demanded, a new light entering his eyes.

 

Sayuri grinned happily, glad to have made Ayamu’s first Vanguard experience a pleasant one. She opened her mouth to speak, but before any words could escape her lips, the shop owner came upstairs. Sayuri’s cousin had a voice that was entirely indecipherable from any other voice, and yet years of practice had trained Sayuri to pick that voice out of the sea of screaming Cardfighters.

 

“Stop playing games and make sure nothing gets stolen.”

 

Sayuri let out a sigh, and turned to Ayamu. “That was a great fight. If you be sure to drop by tomorrow, I’ll be sure to give you a rematch, and help you out with your playstyle.”

 

Ayamu nodded eagerly. He had always had a feeling that Vanguard would be important, and he wasn’t going to give up on that feeling just because he lost one game.


End file.
